Alabama Electrical Journeyman Exam

Alabama Electrical Journeyman Exam Study Guide

This guide covers what you need for the Alabama Electrical Journeyman exam: the key facts from the official bulletin, the topics it tests, the reference books, sample questions with answers, and a plan to prepare. PROV gives the exam.

Alabama Electrical Journeyman Exam at a Glance

Here are the exam's key facts from the official bulletin:

On exam day

• Questions are multiple choice, answered by selecting one of four options on screen.
• You must present current, valid government-issued photo ID such as a driver's license, passport, or military ID, sign the test center log, and be photographed.
• Testing center doors open at least 15 minutes before scheduled appointments and you should plan to arrive early enough to be seated when testing begins.
• Authorized references listed in the exam description are inspected by the proctor before you enter the testing room, and books with handwritten notes, moveable tabs, Post-it notes, added or photocopied pages are not allowed.
• You may highlight and attach permanent tabs in your books, but moveable tabs, Post-it notes and handwritten notes are not allowed.
• You may bring a calculator, but only a simple 4-function calculator is permitted.
• You may bring pencils, a simple 4-function calculator and approved references, while cameras, recorders, cell phones and other communication devices are prohibited in the testing room.

References you may bring

• American Electrician's Handbook (17th Edition)
• NFPA 70 - National Electrical Code 2023

Scheduling, changes and retakes

• You schedule your exam online at https://www.provexam.com/schedule or by phone at 801-733-4455.
• You must be approved by the Board before scheduling, and you are eligible to take the exam within 90 days of the approval date.
• You must contact Prov at least three business days before your test date to change or cancel; rescheduling is free by that deadline, and missing it forfeits your exam fees.
• If you arrive after the testing session has begun you will be turned away, forfeit your exam fees, and have to reschedule.
• Your exam is graded immediately, the results are sent automatically to the state board, and the Board mails you your score.
• To retake, you must submit a retake form and an additional examination fee to the Board, and you cannot retake an exam you have already passed unless the State requires it.
• If you pass, you must contact the Board and apply for your license.

Source: State of Alabama Electrical Contractor Board Examinations — Candidate Information Bulletin, AECBE 2026.09.15. Check the bulletin before test day: fees and rules can change.

What the Alabama Electrical Journeyman Exam Covers

The official content outline has 14 topics:

How to Prepare for the Alabama Electrical Journeyman Exam

Start with the books. This is an open-book exam, so the references on the bulletin's list are your main study tool. Get the editions the bulletin names.

Learn where things are. Read the table of contents and the index of each book until you know where every major subject lives. On test day, finding an answer fast matters more than memorizing it.

Highlight the sections you use most. The exam facts above list the bulletin's rules on tabs and markings, so follow them exactly.

Take timed practice exams. The clock trains you to find answers at the pace the real exam needs: about 3 minutes per question.

Aim to pass more than once. One passing score can be luck. Several in a row means you're ready.

Reference Books for the Alabama Electrical Journeyman Exam

The references listed for the Alabama Electrical Journeyman exam are the American Electrician's Handbook 17th Edition and NFPA 70 - National Electrical Code 2023.

Where to get them:

• NEC 2023
• AEH 17th

On Test Day

• Go through the whole exam first. Answer every question you know and bookmark the ones you don't. Every exam lets you come back to bookmarked questions.
• Then go back to your bookmarks and work them out.
• Don't let one question eat your time. You have 4 hours for 80 questions, which is about 3 minutes per question.
• Before you finish, answer anything you skipped. A blank can't earn a point.

Study Tips

On an open-book exam, the winners aren't the smartest people in the room — they're the fastest at finding answers. Buy the required book, practice with it open, and tab and highlight each section the first time a question sends you there. Learn the index and table of contents until you can land on any topic in seconds. That speed is what separates a pass from a fail.

Know your way around each book's index and table of contents. Open-book exams reward speed: you need to find specific items quickly.

On an open-book exam, work through every question once: answer the ones you know and skip the ones you don't. Then go back to the ones you flagged. You can bookmark questions for later review, just like on our exams — and don't sink too much time into any single question. The clock is still running.

Give yourself at least three to six weeks. Use your exam's candidate bulletin as your roadmap for what's tested, and spend your time on finding-it-fast skills over rote memorization. In practice, aim for three clean passes at 80% or higher — setting your practice bar above the real cut score gives you a comfortable margin on test day.

Practicing against a ticking clock is the best way to beat exam-clock anxiety. Use these timed tests to build your pacing, so you learn to move steadily and never burn too long on a single question. By test day, the format feels routine.

Sample Alabama Electrical Journeyman Practice Questions

These questions come from our practice question bank, each with its answer and reference.

Sample 1 — Service, Feeders, and Branch Circuits

Question: According to the NEC, the recommended maximum voltage drop for branch circuits at the farthest outlet is:

• A. 2 percent
• B. 3 percent
• C. 5 percent
• D. 8 percent

Correct Answer: B

Per NEC 210.19, Informational Note, conductors for branch circuits sized to prevent a voltage drop exceeding 3 percent at the farthest outlet of power, heating, and lighting loads provide reasonable efficiency of operation. The maximum total voltage drop on both feeders and branch circuits to the farthest outlet should not exceed 5 percent.

Reference: NEC 2023 Section 210.19, Informational Note

Sample 2 — Grounding and Bonding

Question: A 400 A service uses 600 kcmil copper service conductors. What is the minimum size of a copper grounding electrode conductor that runs only to a concrete-encased electrode?

• A. 2 AWG
• B. 4 AWG
• C. 3/0 AWG
• D. 1/0 AWG

Correct Answer: B

Table 250.66 would require a 1/0 AWG copper grounding electrode conductor for 600 kcmil copper service conductors, but 250.66(B) says a grounding electrode conductor (or bonding jumper) that runs only to a concrete-encased electrode is not required to be larger than 4 AWG copper. So the minimum size required here is 4 AWG copper.

Reference: NEC 2023 Section 250.66(B), Table 250.66

Sample 3 — Motors

Question: You are installing a packaged air conditioner whose only load is a single hermetic refrigerant motor-compressor. The equipment nameplate shows a rated-load current of 28 amperes, and no branch-circuit selection current is marked. The protective device you first selected will not carry the starting current of the compressor. What is the maximum rating of the branch-circuit short-circuit and ground-fault protective device you may now install?

• A. 60 amperes
• B. 63 amperes
• C. 45 amperes
• D. 70 amperes

Correct Answer: A

Per NEC 440.22(A), the device is normally limited to 175% of the rated-load current, but Exception No. 2 permits the rating to be increased where that value is insufficient for the starting current, provided it does not exceed 225% of the rated-load current or branch-circuit selection current, whichever is greater. Here 28 A x 2.25 = 63 A. Because 225% is a not-to-exceed ceiling (no round-up is permitted), the selection must be made at the next LOWER standard size, 60 A. 63 A is the raw calculated value and not a standard device rating; 45 A corresponds to rounding the 175% value (49 A) downward; 70 A exceeds the 225% ceiling. See also American Electricians' Handbook Sec. 401, Par. 1.

Reference: NEC 2023 Section 440.22(A) Exception No. 2; American Electricians' Handbook, 17th Edition, Sec. 401

Sample 4 — Special Occupancies and Equipment

Question: What type of wiring method is required for the life safety and critical branches of essential electrical systems in health care facilities when installed as branch circuits in patient care spaces?

• A. Any raceway listed for the location
• B. Nonflexible metal raceways, Type MI cable, or Schedule 80 PVC conduit
• C. Flexible metal conduit or liquidtight flexible conduit only
• D. Type MC cable or Type AC cable only

Correct Answer: B

Per Article 517.31(C)(3), the wiring of the life safety and critical branches shall be mechanically protected by raceways. When installed as branch circuits in patient care spaces, only nonflexible metal raceways, Type MI cable, RTRC marked with the suffix -XW, or Schedule 80 PVC conduit shall be permitted.

Reference: NEC 2023 Section 517.31(C)(3)

Why Practice Online Instead of With a PDF

A PDF shows you questions. It doesn't show you the clock. Our practice exams are timed and on a screen, so you practice finding answers under time pressure, not just reading them. Each attempt draws a new set of questions from our bank, and your results break the score down by outline topic so you know what to study next.

Start Practicing

Take the free Alabama Electrical Journeyman practice exam to see where you stand, then work through the topics that need attention. For the official rules, read the exam bulletin, and see the licensing board's website.